


Doggone It

by keelywolfe



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Alternate Universe - Underswap, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, hints of kustard, papcest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 15:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14751735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keelywolfe/pseuds/keelywolfe
Summary: All that matters is the truth and the truth is, Edge is going to kill that fucking dog.





	Doggone It

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't really part of the 'Slowing Your Roll' verse. This is me being at a convention and meaning to write a short drabble that instead earned its own page. Enjoy!

* * *

It was the fucking dog's fault.

Rus could call it annoying all he wanted but to Edge it would always be that fucking dog. The first time he'd met it, it had almost been a dead dog and had barely escaped with its life, alongside a pilfered lasagna. But 'Tale verse monsters were terribly uptight about murder, even of obnoxious, thieving animals, and so it lived to tell the _tale_ , as Red would put it. And it earned the moniker 'that fucking dog' from Edge. 

He'd suggested it as a name change to Rus once and had been primly informed that Snowdin had a large community of children and 'annoying dog' could be freely shouted from windows, unlike Edge's choice. He'd also been told that the Great Papyrus was excellent with children because he knew how to watch his fucking mouth. 

(It had been worth a lasagna to see Sans nearly choke on his own tongue over that little word play. Rupturing his notion of his brother's innocence was always a worthy cause.)

Edge had no need or desire to be good with children or to watch his fucking mouth, so 'that fucking dog' it had remained. And this particular incident was entirely its fault.

Blue and Rus had decided they wanted a special Gyftmas party, to celebrate meeting their counterparts from the other 'verses, and since arguing with those two when they'd set their minds to something was laughable at best and caused property damage at worst, that left them here in Undertale, readying the 'Tale brother's home for their celebration. 

They’d decided on Undertale after a particularly cutthroat game of paper, rock, scissors, involving at least one real rock and Edge privately thought that anyone who assumed the Tale universes were soft were fools. 

In the kitchen cooking were Blue and Papyrus, with Sans and Red as observers or, more likely, hecklers. From the delicious smells that were wafting out, they were having at least some success in ignoring the two shorter annoying older brothers. 

That left Edge with the taller annoying older brother, hanging the decorations. After thwarting Stretch's attempt at leaving the lights on the table in a tangled ball-- 

_(it's abstract art!)_

\--instead he was standing on a chair, grudgingly hanging the strand of lights on the walls close to the ceiling. 

"why am i doing this again?"

"You're the tallest," Edge told him, absently, lifting another ornament from the box that the 'Tale brothers had given him. Decorating the tree would come later but Edge was carefully sorting through them, wiping each free from dust. He would never admit it, but each delicate glass orb was fascinating to him, fragile and glimmering. Gyftmas existed in Underfell but it was hardly the joyous occasion that the 'Tale verses seemed to see it as. Edge had scoffed at Blue's pronouncement of a party, agreeing to attend only because he would hardly turn down a free meal. And yet, here he was, holding each ornament up to the light and watching the scintillating reflections with fascination. 

He suspected Sans had anticipated as much when he'd brought him the box to sort through but then, Sans always saw more than Edge was strictly comfortable with. He was like Red in that, a universal constant. 

"only by about an inch and a half," Stretch said sullenly. He was almost finished with the last wall and that had likely been part of what caused the accident. Reluctant to move the chair he was standing on yet again, straining on his toes to reach the last hook was when it happened. 

Shouts rose from the kitchen from a variety of sources, Edge could pick out two scolding voices, Blue and Rus, which meant the laughter was from Sans and Red. 

The door to the kitchen swung open and out came that fucking dog, a blur of white fur as he darted through the living room with a large gingerbread cookie peeking out of its mouth. It slid around the coffee table, paws frantically backpedaling when it caught sight of Edge on the sofa.

Fucking annoying, yes, but the dog wasn't stupid. He scrabbled around the other side of the coffee table, avoiding Edge, and in the process, knocked into the chair Stretch was standing on, sending it and Stretch tumbling towards the floor. 

It was like slow motion, the dog running, Stretch falling, and Edge reached out on pure instinct, turning his soul blue and catching him inches from the ground. Stretch hung in the air, limbs outstretched in a wild flail that eased as he realized he'd been caught. "thanks, pal," Stretch laughed, waggling his hands and feet playfully. "that woulda been a hell of a _bonedoggle_."

His amusement faded when he stayed hanging in the air, his soul glowing a soft cobalt. "edge?" 

Edge was standing by the sofa, his hand still outstretched and his fingertips sparking crimson. He was shaking, jerking with tremors, his eye lights pale pinpricks. 

"edge?" Stretch said again, carefully, and Edge jerked wildly, Stretch wavering unsteadily in the air for a brief moment before Edge finally lowered his hand and set him on the ground. He rolled to his feet in an instant, at Edge's side in three long strides.

"hey. hey, sit down," he said firmly, guiding Edge back down to the sofa. 

"I'm fine," Edge said, a bare wisp of sound. He could taste magic thick in his throat, prickling along his bones, a vicious aura of threat radiating from him. Stretch ignored it and pulled him into a hard hug, one hand petting the back of Edge's skull gently. 

"i’m okay," Stretch whispered, soothing, "i’m fine. not a scratch on me, all right? i'm fine, i'm just fine." Over and over, a gentle chant that slowly penetrated, until Edge could blink away the heat flaring in his sockets, the wild surge of panicked magic dissipating in a crimson mist.

Abruptly, Edge pulled Stretch against him, ignoring his yelp as he yanked the taller skeleton into his lap. It should have been ridiculously awkward, all long limbs and hard bone. Instead, Stretch shifted against him agreeably, curling into him and resting his skull against Edge's chest, over his soul. Edge pressed the flat of his palm over Stretch's sternum, feeling the warm, welcoming pulse of Stretch's soul greeting him in return. 

"okay, this works," Stretch sighed, relaxing into him. He let Edge hold him for a long moment, his thumb stroking small circles where his hand rested against Edge's shoulder. "you know, i would have been okay even if i’d hit the floor. i’m not that fragile."

Probably. He probably would have.

Maybe. 

Edge shivered a little, an uncomfortable trill of fear tracing up his spine. He hadn't expected this, the terrible adjustment of caring about two low HP monsters instead of one. His own set of delicate Gyftmas ornaments.

Terribly fragile and infinitely precious.

As though plucking Edge's thoughts right from the space/time continuum, the kitchen door swung open and Red sauntered out, rolling his eye lights in disgust when he saw them. "seriously? you guys can’t stop groping long enough to finish?"

"fuck off," Stretch said rudely, not taking a hand off Edge to even flip him off. 

Edge didn't look at his brother, closing his sockets and curling a little into Stretch. He didn't want Red to see him like this, didn't want him to know…

He was helpless to stop him.

Red was a pain in the ass but no fool. He took in the sight of the toppled chair, on Edge's too-tight grip on Stretch and his teeth parted in a silent 'ah'.

"ohhh, it's overprotective jackass time, got it. better you'n me. have fun with that, honey bun," Red waved and slouched back to the door, only to lurch aside as Sans ambled through it. 

It was a striking difference in universes that Sans's imagination didn't take the same leap as Red's when he saw them. His brow bone furrowed, eye lights sharpening, "what’s going on? what happened?"

"not for us, doll face," Red drawled. "c'mon. we are the last assholes who want to be here right now. not unless you want a matching collar and an hour of bitchin'."

"we have the same face, dipshit," Sans protested. He didn't comment about the collar, which was just as well. If Edge thought he'd had even a slim chance of persuading him, Stretch would already have a shiny new Gyftmas present under the tree. Sans gave them a last worried glance but let Red lead him away, back into the kitchen, likely to resume their torture of the younger brothers. Before they went in, Sans added lazily, "and maybe you have an asshole but i prefer the pussy train."

"choo, choo," Red leered as the door swung closed. 

"they so don’t have the same face," Stretch whispered loudly. He shifted up enough to look at Edge, his eye lights dancing. His humor gentled as Edge only looked back at him silently, little tremors still racking him. Carefully, Stretch cupped his face in one gentle palm, his thumb stroking softly over his cheek bone. "hey, lover, i'm okay, remember?" 

He made a startled sound when Edge lurched forward and pressed their mouths together, his tongue desperate as he sought entrance between Stretch's teeth. He slowly eased as Stretch met his franticness with comfort, used hands and teeth and tongue to gentle him. "i'm okay, i'm fine, i'm okay," whispered into Edge's mouth, breathed into him, a gentle litany. 

Until Edge drew away, kisses slowing, until he was looking into Stretch's eye lights, meeting his sweet warmth. "You're all right."

"yeah," Stretch agreed huskily, then he sighed, and pressed a gentle kiss against Edge's forehead. "wish I could say the same thing about that dog."

His tone was cajoling, almost challenging, and Edge let out a thin chuckle. 

"I'll let it live this time," Edge nuzzled a kiss into Stretch's clavicle, listened to his breath catch. 

"promise?" Stretch's voice was almost a whimper, his head falling back as Edge licked his way up. "It's gyftmas, not murdering his dog can be your gift to rus."

"Rus would thank me, but yes, I promise," Edge told him, letting his voice fall to a growl. "After all, it didn't kill you. This time."

"always thinking positive aren't you, lover," Stretch teased. He met Edge's teeth in another kiss and never noticed Edge's arm twisted behind his back, his fingers crossed. 

He stole kiss after kiss from Stretch, until his eye lights were hazy, matching the glimmer of the hanging lights framing the room. Until he was lovely in his distraction, his sighs and groans as pretty as he was, and he didn’t think to question Edge's agreement. 

It was for the best, Edge told himself, losing himself into Stretch's sweetness. Better that he didn't know; because if he saw it again, if it ever came close to him or Stretch, Edge was going to kill that fucking dog.

-finis-


End file.
